Science Foundation Ireland have today published their 2015 annual report which highlights the significant economic impact achieved from the €154 million investment by the agency across its research programmes.
The investment by Science Foundation Ireland to Irish researchers secured €130 million of competitive non-Exchequer funding which includes €79 million of EU Horizon 2020 funding and €38 million of industry co-funding for research projects.
Furthermore, the data shows that Ireland moved up the international rankings for the quality of its scientific research for the second year in a row from 16th to 14th.
There were 4,040 people working on Science Foundation Ireland supported research projects in 2015 and more than 1,300 post graduate students were supported by the organisation. The investment by the agency directly and indirectly supports up to 28,000 high value jobs in Ireland.
In addition, Science Foundation Ireland researchers were engaged in 2,081 international academic collaborations in 62 countries last year.
Commenting on the Report, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor said, "This ranking demonstrates Ireland’s respected international position among the global science community and shows clear value and recognition of the research being funded."
She added, "It is vital for Ireland to continue on this upward trajectory in order for us to secure industry research investment, build strong international partnerships and attract research talent to Ireland."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
